Unconquered (1947)

Intrepid frontiersman Chris Holden foils the political and personal ambitions of renegade Martin Garth in the Ohio Valley following the French and Indian War.

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Charles Bennett (screenplay), Fredric M. Frank (screenplay),

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Paulette Goddard, Howard Da Silva

Nominated for 1 Oscar.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Cooper	...	Capt. Christopher Holden
Paulette Goddard	...	Abby
Howard Da Silva	...	Garth (as Howard da Silva)
Boris Karloff	...	Guyasuta - Chief of the Senecas
Cecil Kellaway	...	Jeremy Love
Ward Bond	...	John Fraser
Virginia Campbell	...	Mrs. John Fraser
Katherine DeMille	...	Hannah
Henry Wilcoxon	...	Capt. Steele
C. Aubrey Smith	...	Lord Chief Justice (as Sir C. Aubrey Smith)
Victor Varconi	...	Capt. Simeon Ecuyer
Virginia Grey	...	Diana
Mike Mazurki	...	Bone
Porter Hall	...	Leach
Richard Gaines	...	Col. George Washington

Storyline

In 1763, felon Abby Hale is sentenced to slavery in America. In Virginia, heroic Capt. Holden buys her, intending to free her, but villain Garth foils this plan, and Abby toils at Dave Bone's tavern. Garth is fomenting an Indian uprising to clear the wilderness of settlers, giving him a monopoly of the fur trade. Holden discovers Garth's treachery, but cannot prove anything against him. Can Holden and Abby save Fort Pitt from the Senecas? Many hairbreadth escapes.

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Plot Keywords:

ohio valley | fort | renegade | frontiersman | vulture | 

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Taglines:

THEY LIVE AGAIN! DAUNTLESS MEN and WOMEN WHO KEPT AMERICA UNCONQUERED! (original ad - almost all caps)

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1947 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Unbesiegten

Filming Locations:

Ashton, Idaho, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

146 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Features 25 name players and 4,325 costumed extras.

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Goofs

When going over the waterfall, support wires can be seen on the actors.

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Quotes

John Fraser - blacksmith: I don't know what the Good Lord was about when he made a female out of a perfectly good rib.

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Connections

Featured in Cecil B. DeMille: American Epic (2004)

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Soundtracks

"WHIPPOORWILL'S A SINGIN'"
(uncredited)
Written by Victor Young and Phil Boutelje
Lyrics by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans

User Reviews

DeMille at his most entertaining with strong cast and good script...

UNCONQUERED is eye candy with its glorious Technicolor scenery and elaborate sets (a mixture of real location photography and painted backgrounds) and, as is typical of any Cecil B. DeMille epic, it's got a splendid cast and a lengthy running time to tell its frontier story of early America--the colonists vs. the Indians.

PAULETTE GODDARD is sold into indentured slavery and two men fight over her--GARY COOPER and HOWARD DA SILVA. That's the basic nub of the story, all events leading up to who will win the girl as Goddard and Cooper go through a series of wild adventures with Indians on their track as Cooper attempts to rescue her from Da Silva's attempt to keep her as his own property. There's even a thrilling escape from the Indians across the rapids and a wildly implausible stunt over the falls pulled by Cooper that is impressive despite being incredibly over-the-top.

There are several well-staged battle scenes with various forts being attacked by the redskins and each segment has a "cast of thousands" look that makes it clear no expense was spared to bring all the excitement to the screen.

Paulette's character undergoes a "Perils of Pauline" type of narrow escapes, each more implausible than the one before, but who cares when it's all served up by DeMille with sufficient amount of tension and daring.

Both stars are in fine form and deliver good performances, ably supported by a fine supporting cast of players including HENRY WILCOXON, C. AUBREY SMITH, KATHERINE DeMILLE, WARD BOND and CECIL KELLAWAY.

One of DeMille's better epics, well worth viewing for fun and adventure with lavish attention to detailed costumes and settings.